The Mother and Son Connection
by Ramblepedia
Summary: The piano in the Hummel house has been silent for nine years. The last time anyone played it Kurt was eight years old. It was his mom's birthday. Just like today. Carole will never replace her - she's not supposed to. But anyone who can get Kurt to play the piano again is a keeper.


I saw a fic a few weeks ago that sparked this idea. I wish I could tell you which one but I really don't remember. The idea within it was that Kurt's mom had taught him piano which made it hard for him to play after her death. Since it seems universally accepted that he knows how to play and yet we almost never see him actually play I decided to run with this. It also gave me a chance to work with the beautiful step-family dynamic that the show hinted at but never gave us a whole lot of and I absolutely love step families that work well together, especially in a world where, lets face it, step parents (especially step mothers) are often depicted as horrifying creatures that need to be feared at all times.

I hope you enjoy the fluff!

Also posted on Archive of Our Own (AO3) under the same name.

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Kurt's hands fell heavily on the old piano. His bag dropped to the floor. He hadn't intended to wind up here after cutting out of Glee. Yet here he was. His eyes scanned over the piano nestled and abandoned in the front room of the Hummel house.

He'd bumped into the bench on his way through to the kitchen. That had been enough to stop him. Of course he didn't believe in supernatural things but it just felt like something in the universe was begging him to stop. Nine years ago was the last time it had been opened. He'd been the last one to play it.

Kurt settled down on the floor and propped open the bench so he could go through the old sheet music. There were four books for learning, each progressively more difficult than the last. These were the ones he'd learned from. The ones his mother had learned from. There were two stickers on each page. Gold for when his mother learned when she was a little girl and blue ones that she'd added when she was teaching him.

The front door opened. Kurt almost knocked the bench completely over. He caught it just in time. "Kurt?" Carole called over to him. "What are you doing home?"

"Oh, I uh, my throat was hurting." That was the lie he'd told at least. "Rachel didn't want me getting anyone sick, especially her, so she kicked me out of Glee for the day."

"Aw, I'm sorry to hear that. Would you like me to make you some tea?" She had some bags over her shoulders. Kurt and his dad had agreed it would be alright to give her a key to the house last week. The relationship between the two was getting very serious - but they were taking things slower than they had last spring. And asking their kids how they felt each step of the way. Kurt was happy for his dad, truly. And he loved having Carole around. He maybe even loved _her._ She was a wonderful mother. But she wasn't his mother.

"I'm ok." The woman came over and set everything beside his bag, kneeling down next to him to glance at some of the music.

"Do you play?"

"I used to. Sometimes I still do. Not often. I just don't really feel like it much." Carole was gentle with the books. She glanced through them with the tender care doctor taking care of a fragile newborn infant.

"These are all pretty old aren't they?"

"I think we've had the newest book in here for at least twenty years." He tugged out an old Beatles one. The one he'd worked really hard on in order to surprise his mother with on this very day nine years ago.

"Are they all for you?"

"I guess they're mine now."

"What do you mean by that?"

"Well, Dad is pretty musically challenged. And Mom always said this piano would be mine when I mastered it. But technically everything belongs to Dad."

"Technically." Carole put the books she had back inside the bench. "I was going to make a special surprise dinner for you and Burt. I told Finn to come over after practice to help out, if that's alright."

"That's fine." Did she even know what today was? He looked over Ms. Hudson's features. It didn't particularly seem that way.

"I was just thinking, and since you're not feeling well and tonight is supposed to be a gift anyway it's completely fine if you don't want to, but it would be really nice if you would play-"

"I can't. I...I can't play this piano." He stood up, Beatles book clutched to his chest.

"Why not?" She shut the lid and stood up to rest a hand on his shoulder. Kurt was good at hiding his hurt from the world but today was too much. His eyes welled up with tears.

"Today's her birthday."

"Who's?"

"Mom's."

"Oh, Kurt, I'm sorry."

"I know. There's nothing anyone can do about it though." Carole wrapped her arms around him. He let her hold him tight. He let his head drop to her shoulder. He didn't feel like a traitor even though this day was supposed to be his mom's day. And this year was the most important of them all.

This year was nine years since her death.

This year was the year when he'd been alive for more years without her than with her.

He turned his head and buried it in Carole's neck. She was completely patient. Her hand rubbed over his back in that comforting way his mother used to use to soothe him when he'd had a bad dream. Maybe it was a mother thing. He hoped it could be a father thing too because he wanted his kids to experience this level of security and they definitely weren't going to have a mother.

"Did she teach you how to play?" He nodded. "Why don't you tell me about her? I'd love to hear the stories. She sounds like a wonderful person." Kurt took a deep breath and sat down on the bench.

"She started teaching me as soon as I showed an interest in music. When I was two. I mean then she'd play the songs and let me just tap at the keys and make whatever noises pleased my ears but she always encouraged me to play. And we always played together. Until I was older I mean. She didn't know I was practicing when she wasn't home because I wanted to surprise her." He held the book on his lap. "I thought these songs would be the most beautiful things I ever played because she always played them for me. I loved when she played the Beatles."

"Their music is classic for a reason." Kurt let out a little laugh. Carole sat beside him.

"I played them on her birthday. Her last birthday. Oh Carole, her face, I'll never forget it, how happy she was, how _proud_ she was. She took Dad by the hand and they danced to the music _I _was making." He took a breath and wiped away a tear. "That...that was the last time anyone played this piano."

"What about you? You said you still play sometimes."

"Just for practicing my scales mostly. In the choir room only." He glanced over the keys.

"Would you play something for me?" Kurt held his breath. He hadn't played for anyone in almost a decade.

"It's probably out of tune."

"That's alright." His breath seeped out. He turned around and set the book up, flipping to the happiest song that came to mind. Here Comes the Sun. His mom always liked happy songs.

It took his fingers a moment to familiarize themselves with keys. They were like old friends. After a moment of catching up they fell back into their old games. So he played. He didn't sing to the first song. But after it ended he flipped to the beginning of the book and started to work his way through it. Slowly his voice rose up. Carole joined him. The food was forgotten on the floor.

Burt left the shop at three-thirty. He'd been antsy all day and he just couldn't be there anymore. He wanted to be home when Kurt came home from Glee anyway, and Kurt normally came in around four or four-thirty depending on if anyone had a temper tantrum that day or not. He arrived at the same time as Finn. "Hey, what's up?"

"Oh! Uh, Mom wanted to meet over here." Finn rubbed the back of his neck. Burt glanced over the cars in the driveway. There almost hadn't been space for his own. If they were ever going to manage to live together they'd need a bigger space than this. Not just because they'd need separate rooms for each boy. Even if Kurt was over Finn now. "Is that ok?"

"Yeah, that's fine. Kurt already inside then?"

"Yeah, yeah he uh, he left early because he wasn't feeling good. Well, he said it wasn't a big deal but Rachel kicked him out. She didn't want him sharing."

"...I don't think he'd be able to share what he has today." That news did have Burt hurrying to the house. He opened the door and was greeted with a strange but beautiful sound.

The piano.

And Kurt.

And Carole.

His hand darted out to hold Finn back as the teen tried to push past him. "Shh," he whispered as he slipped in through the door. "Shoes off. Quiet." Burt was extremely careful to make as little noise as possible.

"I need to laugh, and when the sun is out.

I've got something I can laugh about.

I feel good, in a special way,

I'm in love and it's a sunny day.

Good day sunshine,

Good day sunshine,

Good day sunshine."

Finn was a bit clumsier but he was obedient. And very eager to please Burt even when he didn't understand what was going on. Burt went and leaned against the wall. Kurt barely glanced towards him. There was a small flicker of his eyes though. The teen knew they had an audience.

"We take a walk, the sun is shining down,

Burns my feet as they touch the ground.

Good day sunshine,

Good day sunshine,

Good day sunshine.

Then we lie beneath a shady tree.

I love her and she's loving me.

She feels good, she know she's looking fine.

I'm so proud to know that she is mine."

Carole had her arm around Kurt's waist as they sang. Finn hovered nearby, shifting his weight around. His brows were stitched together. When the song finished Kurt let his hands slip into his lap as his head tilted down. Carole gave him a squeeze.

"I sang that song once," Burt confessed. "It...wasn't pretty."

"I remember," Kurt whispered.

"You laughed."

"Sorry." Burt moved to massage the teen's shoulders.

"It was awful. You'd have laughed too." That last part was directed at Finn.

"I thought you were sick?" the giant queried.

"I was," Kurt replied. "But your mom is pretty awesome at making people feel better." Finn caught the glossy shine over his eyes. He looked away.

"Yeah, she always knows what to do." Carole stood and gave her son a hug before making him help her take the food to the kitchen. The Hummels could hear her telling him what today was to them.

"You're really good with the piano," Burt told his child quietly.

"Thanks Dad." Kurt tilted his head back until he could look right up at his father.

"I missed hearing you play."

"If we get the piano tuned I'll play more often."

"Consider it done." He listened to his boy take in a very shaky breath.

"Carole isn't going to replace Mom."

"She isn't supposed to."

"I like her Dad."

"Me too." Anyone who could get his son to play was a keeper. Burt decided he needed to marry that woman. She wasn't a replacement. Their love was its own separate entity. And that was ok. Burt knew they were meant to be happy. That had always been his wife's wish. On every birthday candle and for every Christmas. Happiness. That was what she said would make her happy forever. "Could you uhm, play one more song?"

Kurt smiled and flipped right to the page.

"Oh yeah I'll tell you something.

I think you'll understand

When I say that something:

I wanna hold your hand…"


End file.
